Fingerprinting

The current society has experienced imminent changes in terms of industrialization. These have led to an increase in the number of crimes; therefore, the government has been subjected to monitoring the activities of its citizens. Although actual fingerprinting and DNA fingerprinting varies in many aspects, there are similarities related to these two phenomena. They are both used for identification. In the case where a crime is undertaken in a region, the government may require to extract the fingerprints of the suspects in order to retrieve their identity (Burke, 2002).

Government institutions, with the help of the immigration department, usually undertake registration of persons, and they are identified using their actual fingerprints. In the case of determining the identity of the child, where there is a conflict of ownership the DNA fingerprinting becomes handy.

In addition, both DNA and Actual fingerprinting is unique in every person. The structure of the fingerprints exhibited either through DNA or actual fingerprinting denotes its uniqueness (Read, 2006). This is the reason why government institution relies extensively on fingerprinting on basing its judgment on the activities of an individual in the case of a crime.

Although the main intention of DNA fingerprinting and actual fingerprinting is to identify an individual, there are differences attributed to these concepts (Pena, 2005). DNA fingerprints involve distinctive sequences in an individual’s DNA, while actual fingerprints involve a complete imprint of the distinctive patterns that characterize an individual’s fingertips.

In most cases, actual fingerprints are used in the registration of persons and identifying an individual who has committed a crime by comparing the fingerprints available at the scene of the crime and the fingerprints in the registration personnel. In the case of DNA fingerprinting, it used in determining the genetic ownership of an individual, preferably a child (Starr & Evers, 2009).

DNA fingerprints are normally a fraction of a minute part of an individual’s genome, unlike actual fingerprinting. It is found within the nucleus of an individual’s cell and is genetically coded. Actual fingerprinting is found on the skin of creation, and it is a unique pattern of lines moving up and down on the fingertips of an individual.

One example of DNA fingerprint, which is used occasionally, is the Variable Nucleotide Tandem Repeat (VNTR). It is a sequence that repeats itself, and can either be shorter or longer as they possess varying numbers of repeated sections. This depends on an individual genetic structure (Read, 2005).

Finally, DNA fingerprinting involves molecular representation where a part of a specific DNA sequence is extracted from an individual and used to determine individual identity. As such, it makes it possible to identify an individual maternal or paternal identity. On the other hand, actual fingerprinting involves physical representation or fingertip impressions where individual fingertip imprints are taken for identification purposes.

References

Burke, T. (2002). DNA fingerprinting: approaches and applications, London: Birkhauser Verlag.

Pena, S. (2005). DNA Fingerprinting: State of the Science, London: Routledge.

Read, M. (2005). Trends in DNA Fingerprinting Research, New York: Nova Publishers.

Read, M. (2006). Focus on DNA Fingerprinting Research, New York: Nova Publishers.

Starr, C. & Evers, C. (2009). Biology: Today and Tomorrow with Physiology, London: Cengage Learning.

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